Ryan Delaney and Elle MoxleySt. Louis Public Radio
Bars, restaurants, theaters, gyms, and museums here are closed
for the month of November as cases of COVID-19 in Germany top
20,000 per day, four times as many as the previous highs of
April. Unlike what took place in April, though, most schools and
daycares remain open while social life is restricted.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call
for proposals for its next class of EWA
Reporting Fellows, with opportunities to fuel enterprising
news coverage of education. The fellowships provide financial
awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and
writing projects. This will be the 11th class of EWA Reporting
Fellows.
It’s halfway through the fall semester, and many students in the
St. Louis and Kansas City areas are just now trickling back into
classrooms. Thousands are still learning from home. Meanwhile, in
most of Europe, schools have been open since August with students
attending in person daily.
A robust public health system, hygiene measures and targeted
quarantines of students and staff exposed to the coronavirus get
the credit. But that early success could soon be put to the test
as cold weather arrives along with a resurgence of cases of the
coronavirus.
Although the Bavarian government, to the south, has ordered the
first widespread lockdowns in districts along the Austrian border
amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, schools in most of Germany,
generally speaking, are back to normal. At least for the moment.
A 2019 state law toughened up rules on how Colorado schools teach
reading — establishing new training requirements for teachers and
placing guardrails on the kind of curriculum schools can use in
kindergarten through third grade.
But for the average parent, figuring out if schools are using
proven approaches to reading instruction and following the new
state rules still isn’t easy.
For years, students in Richmond Public Schools have scored among
the lowest in Virginia on state math exams. The
district recently adopted a new math curriculum, “Eureka
Math,” in an effort to turn those scores around.
Please review the requirements below and submit your application
online.
You must submit all materials at the same time. The
link to the application is at the bottom of this
page. If you have any questions, please see our
FAQ
page.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its 10th
class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s
drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public
about consequential issues in education.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call
for proposals for its next class of EWA
Reporting Fellows, with opportunities to fuel enterprising
news coverage of education. The fellowships provide financial
awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and
writing projects. This will be the 10th class of EWA Reporting
Fellows.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its ninth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education.
“This is an unprecedented time for the news industry, the education sector, and our nation,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud to help our members pursue in-depth projects on critical topics, including on the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
When the Seattle suburb of Kirkland became Ground Zero of the
U.S. coronavirus outbreak, the Seattle Times reporter Paige
Cornwell found her beat transforming from covering city council
elections to reporting on the most urgently unfolding story in
the country.
The deadline to apply for the Winter 2020 round
of the EWA Reporting Fellowship was March 15, 2020. Please
contact fellowship@ewa.org for additional
information.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call
for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting Fellows. The
fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake
ambitious reporting and writing projects on consequential issues
in education. This will be the ninth class of EWA Reporting
Fellows.
The number of students from mainland China attending an American
university
has increased by more than 50 percent in the last decade. For
many campuses, that student population has become a key source of
tuition revenue and talent. For those who see China as an
economic, political and military threat, this rapid growth has
raised alarms.
Late last summer, Luis decided to attend Wilbur Wright College,
one of the seven two-year community colleges that make up the
City Colleges of Chicago. He received financial aid to cover
tuition and books. We’re not using Luis’ last name at his
request to retain some privacy online.
Luis hopes to eventually get a bachelor’s degree in industrial
engineering and said he’s motivated by the idea of earning enough
that he doesn’t have to worry about money. His mom works 12-hour
days to support their large family.
Low enrollment and financial troubles have caused a slew of
Vermont’s small, independent colleges to shut their doors. What’s
causing the problem — and is there a solution?
VPR’s Amy Noyes, who has been reporting on higher ed in
Vermont with a fellowship from the Education Writers
Association, has answers to these three questions:
“Why are student populations shrinking?” — Diana Clark,
South Burlington
The Plain Dealer’s Patrick O’Donnell had a feeling his story was
bigger than just Cleveland. His team heard reports
of people graduating from high school and struggling to find
gainful employment, while employers in the area complained of a
mismatched skill level when hiring for trade jobs. What was it
about Cleveland’s pipeline for trade workers that wasn’t lining
up? Why was it so difficult to find and pair skilled workers with
stable jobs in a depressed city so desperately in need of that
stability?
The solar-powered air purification tower rises 200 feet out of a
cluster of high-rises in China — a soaring symbol of new
possibilities for its inventor, University of Minnesota
engineering professor David Pui.
Collaboration with China has long been a linchpin of U research,
and lately that work has accelerated. In the past five years,
university faculty have published more than 4,300 scientific
papers jointly with colleagues in China — more than any other
country.
Jieie Chen and Dong Xuan felt a strong connection to the
University of Minnesota long before they arrived from China with
their son, Ken, an incoming freshman.
They had spent hours online researching the university. They had
heard the director of the U’s Beijing office make a case for
joining the “Gophers family” at a meeting with admitted students
in Shanghai last spring. They had later taken in testimonials
from U students and alumni at one of the orientations the
university hosts in China each summer.
If you graduate from the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and go on
to college, there is no escaping Katherine Grow. She’ll call,
she’ll email, and she’ll show up on campus. And usually, during
those campus visits, she’ll ask to see your phone.
The cell phones are a gateway to the college grades of the
Detroit charter school’s graduates, and looking in is a key way
that Grow monitors how those students are faring.
Unlike lecture courses, online programs allow students to plug
away at their own speed on problems matched to their individual
learning needs — a format that works well for some students. But
there are also pitfalls to that approach.
The findings are startling: Roughly one in 10 metro Louisville
residents ages 16 to 24 is “disconnected” from society.
That’s 16,800 young adults who aren’t working. Nor are they in
school.
The consequences for failing to reengage these young people
are staggering: If these disconnected youths do not join the
greater Louisville workforce, the cost burden to society over
their lifetimes — from lost tax revenues to an increased
dependency on social welfare programs — could exceed $15
billion, researchers estimate.
Sarah Schwartz and Liana Heiten Loewus,Education Week
Learning to read is arguably the most important academic
experience students will have during their school years. But it’s
not a given.
The “nation’s report card” shows that just 35 percent of 4th
graders are proficient readers. That’s despite decades of
cognitive research clarifying exactly which skills students need
to be taught to read fluently.
In August, McDonogh 35 again gained notoriety when it
became the last New Orleans public campus here to
become a charter school, making this the first American
city to fully embrace a publicly funded but privately
operated school system.
Last week brought the first early decision deadlines for high
school seniors applying to college — and also a lot of
potential questions: Just what is early decision and how does it
differ from early action? Have college admissions changed since
the “Varsity Blues” scandal broke earlier this year? How do
college admissions officers view Vermont’s new proficiency-based
grading systems? What are the admissions options at Vermont
colleges and universities?
But still, despite excelling in her other classes, Marqell
McClendon has struggled in the remedial math class she’s taking
during her first semester at Michigan State University.
It’s an unfamiliar scene for McClendon, the valedictorian of her
graduating class at Detroit’s Cody High School who’s used to
students coming to her for help. Now, the tables are turned. She
describes it as “bittersweet.”
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its eighth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support ambitious journalism projects that inform the public on important issues in education.
“Enterprising coverage of education by independent journalists has never been more important, and EWA is proud to play a role in supporting their work,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are delighted to help make possible in-depth reporting by our members.”
A city of just 5,500 residents in East Texas might not be the
first place people would think of when looking to pilot a program
that could change the college landscape, but it’s happening in
Rusk.
When the Rusk promise launched in 2014, it was the first
community promise initiative in the state. In just five years,
the results already are creating change in the community.
Detroit graduates must navigate patchy academic preparation,
culture shock, and often their own shaken confidence if they are
to stay enrolled and on track to earn a degree that is their best
chance to jump into the middle class as adults.
The four students all received enough scholarship and grant money
to cover their college costs. But as the lead-up to the first day
of class made clear, there’s much more to college than paying the
bills.
Reddick intended to pick up where his mother had left off. He
could already envision the “Black Excellence” student group he
would found at Rutgers-Newark before launching a career in
community organizing and politics — just like his hero, Cory
Booker. If he were elected, he’d get the lead out of the city’s
water and make sure every student attends an excellent school. He
believed his own success would set straight all the people he’d
seen scoff at Newark. And he wasn’t afraid to voice his grand
ambitions: “I want to become part of Newark’s history.”
In the United States, and for roughly 191,000 students seeking
public education in Montana, a degree has been a steppingstone to
the American Dream, an opportunity for security and prosperity.
But from elementary school to college, the path forward for
Heitman, Bullshoe, Valyent and others is steep.
Throughout the Montana University System, enrollment and
retention are challenges. As the trajectory of high school
graduates has fallen and flattened, public campuses have fought
to maintain students, but in Montana, most schools have lost them
in recent years.
Dade Correctional Institution employs one teacher for a
population of 1,500 men — and just 16 inmates have earned GED
diplomas there over the past four years.
Union Correctional Institution, a North Florida prison with a
capacity of nearly 2,200, graduated only nine prisoners during
that time.
Century Correctional Institution in the Panhandle went years on
end without awarding a single educational certificate.
*The deadline for this round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship
program was Sept. 10, 2019. The application cycle is now
closed.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a
call for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting
Fellows. The fellowships provide financial awards to journalists
to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects. This will
be the eighth class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
At Helena College, a 26-year-old student raising her daughter
alone schedules class around her job at a grocery store.
Stephanie Heitman’s paychecks were going toward unpaid medical
bills until her small college helped with a grant.
When Tristin Bullshoe landed at the University of Montana after
growing up in Browning, he struggled to pursue his dream of being
a doctor. He landed in a college lecture hall with 300 people
after graduating high school with a class of 12, and the
Blackfeet student faced culture shock.
Like many states, Colorado has set an ambitious goal for boosting the number of citizens with advanced degrees and credentials, all with an eye toward filling high-need jobs in areas like health care and manufacturing. In a five-part series, EWA Reporting Fellow Stephanie Daniel of KUNC (Northern Colorado Community Radio) looks at how the Rocky Mountain state is trying to do that:
At a time when Oklahoma — and the nation — continues to deal
with overcrowded prisons and high rates of reoffending, higher
education programs behind bars offer one of the most successful
models at rehabilitation.
Through a fellowship with the Education Writers Association, The
Oklahoman traveled to England to learn more about the nation’s
prison education program at a time when Oklahoma’s high
incarceration rate has most facilities over capacity and
officials with the state Department of Corrections claiming new
prisons are needed to handle the continued growth.
If you’re an inmate in Illinois, what educational programs are available to help you get your life back on track? That’s the question public radio reporter Lee Gaines set out to answer in an ongoing series. As part of an EWA Reporting Fellowship, Gaines looks at how severe budget cuts in Illinois, plus changes to eligibility for federal Pell Grant dollars, have reduced the number of prisoners earning postsecondary credentials and degrees.
Kansas, like many states, is pouring millions of dollars into dual-credit programs, technical colleges and other initiatives aimed at preparing more students for the so-called “college economy,” where advanced training is a prerequisite for well-paying jobs. But are those investments paying off? In an eight-part series for the Kansas News Service, reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Stephen Bisaha look at the state’s push to get more students into postsecondary programs, and to keep them from taking their highly desirable skill sets to employers in other states.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its seventh class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects.
“We were thrilled to receive many strong proposals for in-depth reporting projects, including from outlets focused on local news,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud of the outstanding coverage that EWA’s fellowship program has supported to date, and we’re confident that this new round will prove equally excellent.”
U.S. public education is rooted in the belief by early American
leaders that the most important knowledge to impart to young
people is what it means to be a citizen. If America is
experiencing a civic crisis now, as many say it is, schools may
well be failing at that job.
Kansas, like many states, is pouring millions of dollars into dual-credit programs, technical colleges and other initiatives aimed at preparing more students for the so-called “college economy,” where advanced training is a prerequisite for well-paying jobs. But are those investments paying off? In an eight-part series for the Kansas News Service, reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Stephen Bisaha look at the state’s push to get more students into postsecondary programs, and to keep them from taking their highly desirable skill sets to employers in other states.
If you’re an inmate in Illinois, what educational programs are available to help you get your life back on track? That’s the question public radio reporter Lee Gaines set out to answer in an ongoing series. As part of an EWA Reporting Fellowship, Gaines looks at how severe budget cuts in Illinois, plus changes to eligibility for federal Pell Grant dollars, have reduced the number of prisoners earning postsecondary credentials and degrees.
EWA is looking for its next class of Reporting Fellows –
education journalists who receive up to $8,000 apiece to
undertake in-depth projects on a wide range of topics.
This is your opportunity to get the inside track on crafting a
winning application. Questions addressed include: What are the
hallmarks of successful proposals? How can the money be used?
What reporting topics are priorities this time? How have
past fellows used their funds to produce innovative and
compelling work?
By Andrea Eger of the Tulsa World for EWAand Kim Clark, EWA
Editor’s note: This story was updated April 21, 2020.
Here’s some rare good financial news for education journalists:
If you have an idea for an ambitious education-related story -
and a realistic plan for executing it – a growing number of
organizations will provide grants or other resources to support
your reporting.
Representatives from several of the organizations, and some
fellowship winners, shared tips and strategies for getting
help to make reporting dreams a reality.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its sixth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“From investigative reporting to deep data dives to long-form narratives, our new fellows reflect a diverse range of topics and approaches,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are delighted to be able to support such ambitious and timely education journalism.”
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its fifth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“We’re delighted to support the in-depth reporting projects proposed by the newest fellows,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “Their work will help shed light on the myriad challenges and opportunities facing students as they move from classrooms to careers.”
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its fourth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“We are delighted to provide additional EWA members with this unique opportunity to dig deeper into the education beat,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “These new projects will make important contributions to the public’s understanding of education and further fortify the nation’s education journalism community.”
Two-dozen high school students are gathered around a large work
table as manufacturing teacher Dan Cassidy holds out boxes of
metal bars and gears. The students choose among the parts to
build model bicycles. “What else are we going to use today? Let
me hear some vocab here,” he says. When a student shouts out
“chains,” he nudges them until they recall another term for it:
“linkage.”
Journalist Kelly
Field recently won a top honor at EWA’s National Seminar for
her compelling series, “From the
Reservation to College,” on the education of Native American
students. Field’s coverage for The Chronicle of Higher Education
— supported by an EWA Reporting Fellowship — follows several
students from the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana. Their
experiences highlight the significant educational challenges
facing Native communities in the U.S.
Laura Isensee of Houston Public Media discusses Furr
High School, which recently received a $10 million grant to
help it reinvent what, when, and how students learn. The changes
are already underway: a veteran principal was lured out of
retirement to take the helm; students are able dig into their own
areas of interest during regular periods of “Genius Time”; and
even the hiring process for teachers and staff has taken some
innovative turns. What’s been the response of the school
community to these new developments?
Nationally, politicians and others frequently tout Hartford,
Connecticut, and its magnet schools as a model of school
integration. But in reality, the city has a system of haves and
have nots, as Vanessa de la Torre and Matthew Kauffman, reporters
at The Hartford Courant, revealed in their 2017 series, “Hartford
Schools: More Separate, Still Unequal.”
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its
third class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under an initiative aimed
at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
The latest round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship is focused on
examining U.S. education through a global lens. Prior rounds
include college and career readiness and success, as well as high
school redesign.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its inaugural class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under a new initiative aimed at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
“We were impressed by the high caliber of the proposals, and are thrilled to help advance ambitious reporting in communities across the country, from Baltimore and Detroit to New Orleans,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “The response to this new initiative makes clear the strong appetite among media outlets — and individual journalists — for in-depth reporting on education.”
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its second class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under an initiative aimed at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
“We were heartened by the quality of the applications and the continued enthusiasm among EWA members for pursuing in-depth reporting projects,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We expect the fellows’ work to advance important conversations about policies and practices shaping America’s schools.”
When Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans in 2005, much of
the city’s infrastructure was washed away — including its public
education system. Changes imposed after the storm have produced a
system primarily of charter schools which are independently
operated and publicly funded — including those run by the KIPP
network.
In the new series “Higher
Ground” (for NOLA.com/The Times Picayune), reporter
Danielle Dreilinger looks at where the city’s KIPP’s graduates
wind up after graduation. She talks with EWA public editor Emily
Richmond about the project (part of the EWA Reporting Fellowship
program), and how the high-achieving charter network is seeking
to improve New Orleans’ students chances of postsecondary
success.
What will it take for the federal government to provide American
Indian and Alaskan Native students with the schooling and
services they’ve long been promised?
Europe Is Locked Back Down, But Most Schools Stay Open
Bars, restaurants, theaters, gyms, and museums here are closed for the month of November as cases of COVID-19 in Germany top 20,000 per day, four times as many as the previous highs of April. Unlike what took place in April, though, most schools and daycares remain open while social life is restricted.
EWA Seeks Proposals for In-Depth Reporting Projects
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting Fellows, with opportunities to fuel enterprising news coverage of education. The fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects. This will be the 11th class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
How German Students Have Been Back At School Since Spring, While Missourians Are Just Returning
It’s halfway through the fall semester, and many students in the St. Louis and Kansas City areas are just now trickling back into classrooms. Thousands are still learning from home. Meanwhile, in most of Europe, schools have been open since August with students attending in person daily.
A robust public health system, hygiene measures and targeted quarantines of students and staff exposed to the coronavirus get the credit. But that early success could soon be put to the test as cold weather arrives along with a resurgence of cases of the coronavirus.
Germany’s Schools Try To Open Amid New Coronavirus Lockdowns
Although the Bavarian government, to the south, has ordered the first widespread lockdowns in districts along the Austrian border amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, schools in most of Germany, generally speaking, are back to normal. At least for the moment.
Read the full story here.
Colorado Parents, Here’s What To Ask Your Child’s School About Reading
A 2019 state law toughened up rules on how Colorado schools teach reading — establishing new training requirements for teachers and placing guardrails on the kind of curriculum schools can use in kindergarten through third grade.
But for the average parent, figuring out if schools are using proven approaches to reading instruction and following the new state rules still isn’t easy.
Read the full story here.
Counting Sheep: New Math in Richmond
For years, students in Richmond Public Schools have scored among the lowest in Virginia on state math exams. The district recently adopted a new math curriculum, “Eureka Math,” in an effort to turn those scores around.
Application for Fall 2020 EWA Reporting Fellowship
Application Materials:
Please review the requirements below and submit your application online.
You must submit all materials at the same time. The link to the application is at the bottom of this page. If you have any questions, please see our FAQ page.
Applications are due by Monday, Nov 16, 2020.
FAQs About the Fall 2020 EWA Reporting Fellowships
What is an EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowships program provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately seven fellowships in this round.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 apiece to winning proposals.
EWA Announces Fall 2020 Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its 10th class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education.
EWA Seeks Reporting Proposals for Fellowship Program
Deadline to apply for the 10th round of EWA Reporting Fellows is July 13
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting Fellows, with opportunities to fuel enterprising news coverage of education. The fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects. This will be the 10th class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
EWA Announces New Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its ninth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s drive to support enterprising journalism that informs the public about consequential issues in education.
“This is an unprecedented time for the news industry, the education sector, and our nation,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud to help our members pursue in-depth projects on critical topics, including on the far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
One Journalist Crowdfunds for the Furloughed as She Covers the Coronavirus
Inspired by friends' kindness, this Seattle Times reporter set up a furlough fund
When the Seattle suburb of Kirkland became Ground Zero of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak, the Seattle Times reporter Paige Cornwell found her beat transforming from covering city council elections to reporting on the most urgently unfolding story in the country.
Five Reasons You Want to Be an EWA Reporting Fellow
The Education Writers Association is accepting applications for its 11th round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship Program through Nov. 6, 2020.
While there are a growing number of programs offering to fund journalists and journalism, EWA’s Reporting Fellowship is uniquely advantageous to journalists. Here are five reasons why:
EWA Seeks Proposals for In-Depth Reporting Projects
Deadline to apply is Friday, March 13.
The deadline to apply for the Winter 2020 round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship was March 15, 2020. Please contact fellowship@ewa.org for additional information.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting Fellows. The fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects on consequential issues in education. This will be the ninth class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
Investigating a University’s Ties to China
How one reporter used her EWA Fellowship to examine a school's growing Chinese population
The number of students from mainland China attending an American university has increased by more than 50 percent in the last decade. For many campuses, that student population has become a key source of tuition revenue and talent. For those who see China as an economic, political and military threat, this rapid growth has raised alarms.
States Want To End Developmental Education. Why Chicago Professors Are Fighting Back.
Late last summer, Luis decided to attend Wilbur Wright College, one of the seven two-year community colleges that make up the City Colleges of Chicago. He received financial aid to cover tuition and books. We’re not using Luis’ last name at his request to retain some privacy online.
Luis hopes to eventually get a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and said he’s motivated by the idea of earning enough that he doesn’t have to worry about money. His mom works 12-hour days to support their large family.
As Colleges Close, How Will Vermont Schools Survive?
Low enrollment and financial troubles have caused a slew of Vermont’s small, independent colleges to shut their doors. What’s causing the problem — and is there a solution?
VPR’s Amy Noyes, who has been reporting on higher ed in Vermont with a fellowship from the Education Writers Association, has answers to these three questions:
“Why are student populations shrinking?” — Diana Clark, South Burlington
How One Reporter Took Lessons Learned From Europe Back to Cleveland
The Plain Dealer's Patrick O'Donnell used his EWA Fellowship to explore career and technical education abroad
The Plain Dealer’s Patrick O’Donnell had a feeling his story was bigger than just Cleveland. His team heard reports of people graduating from high school and struggling to find gainful employment, while employers in the area complained of a mismatched skill level when hiring for trade jobs. What was it about Cleveland’s pipeline for trade workers that wasn’t lining up? Why was it so difficult to find and pair skilled workers with stable jobs in a depressed city so desperately in need of that stability?
University of Minnesota’s Academic Work With China Chilled by Federal Concerns
The solar-powered air purification tower rises 200 feet out of a cluster of high-rises in China — a soaring symbol of new possibilities for its inventor, University of Minnesota engineering professor David Pui.
Collaboration with China has long been a linchpin of U research, and lately that work has accelerated. In the past five years, university faculty have published more than 4,300 scientific papers jointly with colleagues in China — more than any other country.
University of Minnesota Mines China Connection But Worries About Future
Jieie Chen and Dong Xuan felt a strong connection to the University of Minnesota long before they arrived from China with their son, Ken, an incoming freshman.
They had spent hours online researching the university. They had heard the director of the U’s Beijing office make a case for joining the “Gophers family” at a meeting with admitted students in Shanghai last spring. They had later taken in testimonials from U students and alumni at one of the orientations the university hosts in China each summer.
Visiting Days: How a Detroit High School Extends Its Family Feel By Sticking With Graduates Through College
If you graduate from the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy and go on to college, there is no escaping Katherine Grow. She’ll call, she’ll email, and she’ll show up on campus. And usually, during those campus visits, she’ll ask to see your phone.
The cell phones are a gateway to the college grades of the Detroit charter school’s graduates, and looking in is a key way that Grow monitors how those students are faring.
As More Colleges Experiment With Online Remediation, Some Students Flourish While Many Others Fall Behind
Unlike lecture courses, online programs allow students to plug away at their own speed on problems matched to their individual learning needs — a format that works well for some students. But there are also pitfalls to that approach.
Louisville’s $15 Billion Problem: 17,000 Young People are Out of School and Out of Work
The findings are startling: Roughly one in 10 metro Louisville residents ages 16 to 24 is “disconnected” from society.
That’s 16,800 young adults who aren’t working. Nor are they in school.
The consequences for failing to reengage these young people are staggering: If these disconnected youths do not join the greater Louisville workforce, the cost burden to society over their lifetimes — from lost tax revenues to an increased dependency on social welfare programs — could exceed $15 billion, researchers estimate.
SPECIAL REPORT: GETTING READING RIGHT
What Teachers and Ed. Professors Know About Early Literacy
Learning to read is arguably the most important academic experience students will have during their school years. But it’s not a given.
The “nation’s report card” shows that just 35 percent of 4th graders are proficient readers. That’s despite decades of cognitive research clarifying exactly which skills students need to be taught to read fluently.
New Orleans Public Education Goes to An All-Charter School System
In August, McDonogh 35 again gained notoriety when it became the last New Orleans public campus here to become a charter school, making this the first American city to fully embrace a publicly funded but privately operated school system.
Early Action? Early Decision? An Explanation of Looming College Admission Deadlines
Last week brought the first early decision deadlines for high school seniors applying to college — and also a lot of potential questions: Just what is early decision and how does it differ from early action? Have college admissions changed since the “Varsity Blues” scandal broke earlier this year? How do college admissions officers view Vermont’s new proficiency-based grading systems? What are the admissions options at Vermont colleges and universities?
As Detroit Students Settle Into Their First Semester of College, ‘Bridge’ Programs Provide Needed Support
But still, despite excelling in her other classes, Marqell McClendon has struggled in the remedial math class she’s taking during her first semester at Michigan State University.
It’s an unfamiliar scene for McClendon, the valedictorian of her graduating class at Detroit’s Cody High School who’s used to students coming to her for help. Now, the tables are turned. She describes it as “bittersweet.”
EWA Announces New Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its eighth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support ambitious journalism projects that inform the public on important issues in education.
“Enterprising coverage of education by independent journalists has never been more important, and EWA is proud to play a role in supporting their work,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are delighted to help make possible in-depth reporting by our members.”
Promises Kept: How a Scholarship Program Is Serving as a Model for Community Change
Cory McCoy
A city of just 5,500 residents in East Texas might not be the first place people would think of when looking to pilot a program that could change the college landscape, but it’s happening in Rusk.
When the Rusk promise launched in 2014, it was the first community promise initiative in the state. In just five years, the results already are creating change in the community.
‘I can do it’: How four Detroit students hope to make it through the formidable first year of college.
Detroit graduates must navigate patchy academic preparation, culture shock, and often their own shaken confidence if they are to stay enrolled and on track to earn a degree that is their best chance to jump into the middle class as adults.
The four students all received enough scholarship and grant money to cover their college costs. But as the lead-up to the first day of class made clear, there’s much more to college than paying the bills.
A Newark student dreams of completing college. But first he must survive summer ‘boot camp.’
Reddick intended to pick up where his mother had left off. He could already envision the “Black Excellence” student group he would found at Rutgers-Newark before launching a career in community organizing and politics — just like his hero, Cory Booker. If he were elected, he’d get the lead out of the city’s water and make sure every student attends an excellent school. He believed his own success would set straight all the people he’d seen scoff at Newark. And he wasn’t afraid to voice his grand ambitions: “I want to become part of Newark’s history.”
Students Have an Uphill Battle to Degrees, but Montana Educators Push for Success
In the United States, and for roughly 191,000 students seeking public education in Montana, a degree has been a steppingstone to the American Dream, an opportunity for security and prosperity.
But from elementary school to college, the path forward for Heitman, Bullshoe, Valyent and others is steep.
Throughout the Montana University System, enrollment and retention are challenges. As the trajectory of high school graduates has fallen and flattened, public campuses have fought to maintain students, but in Montana, most schools have lost them in recent years.
Wasted Minds
Dade Correctional Institution employs one teacher for a population of 1,500 men — and just 16 inmates have earned GED diplomas there over the past four years.
Union Correctional Institution, a North Florida prison with a capacity of nearly 2,200, graduated only nine prisoners during that time.
Century Correctional Institution in the Panhandle went years on end without awarding a single educational certificate.
Read the full story here.
EWA Invites Journalists to Apply for Fellowships on K-12, Postsecondary Topics
*The deadline for this round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship program was Sept. 10, 2019. The application cycle is now closed.
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce a call for proposals for its next class of EWA Reporting Fellows. The fellowships provide financial awards to journalists to undertake ambitious reporting and writing projects. This will be the eighth class of EWA Reporting Fellows.
Students Have an Uphill Battle to Degrees, But Montana Educators Push for Success
At Helena College, a 26-year-old student raising her daughter alone schedules class around her job at a grocery store. Stephanie Heitman’s paychecks were going toward unpaid medical bills until her small college helped with a grant.
When Tristin Bullshoe landed at the University of Montana after growing up in Browning, he struggled to pursue his dream of being a doctor. He landed in a college lecture hall with 300 people after graduating high school with a class of 12, and the Blackfeet student faced culture shock.
FAQs About the Fall 2019 EWA Reporting Fellowships
What is the EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowship provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately six to eight fellowships in this round.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 apiece to winning proposals.
Can a State Help More Residents Finish College?
With 75 percent of the state’s jobs requiring postsecondary credentials, Colorado looks to boost college and career training
(EWA Radio: Episode 213)
Like many states, Colorado has set an ambitious goal for boosting the number of citizens with advanced degrees and credentials, all with an eye toward filling high-need jobs in areas like health care and manufacturing. In a five-part series, EWA Reporting Fellow Stephanie Daniel of KUNC (Northern Colorado Community Radio) looks at how the Rocky Mountain state is trying to do that:
Special Series: Offender Learning
The Oklahoman
At a time when Oklahoma — and the nation — continues to deal with overcrowded prisons and high rates of reoffending, higher education programs behind bars offer one of the most successful models at rehabilitation.
Through a fellowship with the Education Writers Association, The Oklahoman traveled to England to learn more about the nation’s prison education program at a time when Oklahoma’s high incarceration rate has most facilities over capacity and officials with the state Department of Corrections claiming new prisons are needed to handle the continued growth.
When Prisoners Go to College
In Illinois, education programs for the incarcerated show strong results despite being underfunded
(EWA Radio: Episode 200)
If you’re an inmate in Illinois, what educational programs are available to help you get your life back on track? That’s the question public radio reporter Lee Gaines set out to answer in an ongoing series. As part of an EWA Reporting Fellowship, Gaines looks at how severe budget cuts in Illinois, plus changes to eligibility for federal Pell Grant dollars, have reduced the number of prisoners earning postsecondary credentials and degrees.
Can Kansas Keep Its Best Students?
Sunflower State students face realities of 'College Economy'
(EWA Radio: Episode 203)
Kansas, like many states, is pouring millions of dollars into dual-credit programs, technical colleges and other initiatives aimed at preparing more students for the so-called “college economy,” where advanced training is a prerequisite for well-paying jobs. But are those investments paying off? In an eight-part series for the Kansas News Service, reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Stephen Bisaha look at the state’s push to get more students into postsecondary programs, and to keep them from taking their highly desirable skill sets to employers in other states.
EWA Announces New Class of Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its seventh class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects.
“We were thrilled to receive many strong proposals for in-depth reporting projects, including from outlets focused on local news,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are proud of the outstanding coverage that EWA’s fellowship program has supported to date, and we’re confident that this new round will prove equally excellent.”
Citizen Z: An Education Week Project
Teaching Civics in a Divided Nation
U.S. public education is rooted in the belief by early American leaders that the most important knowledge to impart to young people is what it means to be a citizen. If America is experiencing a civic crisis now, as many say it is, schools may well be failing at that job.
Kansas Needs Nurses. So Why Do Engineering Schools Get More Money?
Dual credit programs, technical colleges getting big boost in Sunflower State
(EWA Radio: Episode 203)
Kansas, like many states, is pouring millions of dollars into dual-credit programs, technical colleges and other initiatives aimed at preparing more students for the so-called “college economy,” where advanced training is a prerequisite for well-paying jobs. But are those investments paying off? In an eight-part series for the Kansas News Service, reporters Celia Llopis-Jepsen and Stephen Bisaha look at the state’s push to get more students into postsecondary programs, and to keep them from taking their highly desirable skill sets to employers in other states.
Behind Bars and in College
Postsecondary education in Illinois’ prison system
(EWA Radio: Episode 200)
If you’re an inmate in Illinois, what educational programs are available to help you get your life back on track? That’s the question public radio reporter Lee Gaines set out to answer in an ongoing series. As part of an EWA Reporting Fellowship, Gaines looks at how severe budget cuts in Illinois, plus changes to eligibility for federal Pell Grant dollars, have reduced the number of prisoners earning postsecondary credentials and degrees.
FAQs About the 2019 EWA Reporting Fellowships
Please note: The deadline for this round of the fellowship was Feb. 15, 2019.
What is the EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowship provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately 7 fellowships in this round.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 apiece to winning proposals.
Want an EWA Reporting Fellowship? Here’s What You Need to Know.
Fellows eligible for up to $8,000 plus other project support
EWA is looking for its next class of Reporting Fellows – education journalists who receive up to $8,000 apiece to undertake in-depth projects on a wide range of topics.
This is your opportunity to get the inside track on crafting a winning application. Questions addressed include: What are the hallmarks of successful proposals? How can the money be used? What reporting topics are priorities this time? How have past fellows used their funds to produce innovative and compelling work?
How to Fund Your Dream Reporting Project
Seven organizations will provide financial and editorial support to education journalists.
Editor’s note: This story was updated April 21, 2020.
Here’s some rare good financial news for education journalists: If you have an idea for an ambitious education-related story - and a realistic plan for executing it – a growing number of organizations will provide grants or other resources to support your reporting.
Representatives from several of the organizations, and some fellowship winners, shared tips and strategies for getting help to make reporting dreams a reality.
EWA Announces New Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its sixth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“From investigative reporting to deep data dives to long-form narratives, our new fellows reflect a diverse range of topics and approaches,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We are delighted to be able to support such ambitious and timely education journalism.”
FAQs About the 2018 EWA Reporting Fellowships:
K-12 and Higher Ed
Applications Due August 31, 2018
What is the EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowship provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately 10 fellowships in this round of the program.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 a piece to winning proposals.
EWA Announces New Education Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its fifth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“We’re delighted to support the in-depth reporting projects proposed by the newest fellows,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “Their work will help shed light on the myriad challenges and opportunities facing students as they move from classrooms to careers.”
FAQs About the 2018 EWA Reporting Fellowship: Postsecondary Pathways
Applications Due April 30, 2018
What is the EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowship provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately six to 10 fellowships in this round of the program.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 a piece to winning proposals.
EWA Announces New Education Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its fourth class of EWA Reporting Fellows as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to support enterprising journalism projects on education.
“We are delighted to provide additional EWA members with this unique opportunity to dig deeper into the education beat,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “These new projects will make important contributions to the public’s understanding of education and further fortify the nation’s education journalism community.”
Reinventing High School
See how one New Hampshire school is retooling education.
Two-dozen high school students are gathered around a large work table as manufacturing teacher Dan Cassidy holds out boxes of metal bars and gears. The students choose among the parts to build model bicycles. “What else are we going to use today? Let me hear some vocab here,” he says. When a student shouts out “chains,” he nudges them until they recall another term for it: “linkage.”
‘Eddie Prize’ Winner Kelly Field: Reporting on Native American Students
EWA Radio: Episode 134
Journalist Kelly Field recently won a top honor at EWA’s National Seminar for her compelling series, “From the Reservation to College,” on the education of Native American students. Field’s coverage for The Chronicle of Higher Education — supported by an EWA Reporting Fellowship — follows several students from the Blackfeet Indian reservation in Montana. Their experiences highlight the significant educational challenges facing Native communities in the U.S.
A Houston High School’s Transformation
EWA Radio: Episode 129
Laura Isensee of Houston Public Media discusses Furr High School, which recently received a $10 million grant to help it reinvent what, when, and how students learn. The changes are already underway: a veteran principal was lured out of retirement to take the helm; students are able dig into their own areas of interest during regular periods of “Genius Time”; and even the hiring process for teachers and staff has taken some innovative turns. What’s been the response of the school community to these new developments?
Covering Segregation Through Storytelling
Nationally, politicians and others frequently tout Hartford, Connecticut, and its magnet schools as a model of school integration. But in reality, the city has a system of haves and have nots, as Vanessa de la Torre and Matthew Kauffman, reporters at The Hartford Courant, revealed in their 2017 series, “Hartford Schools: More Separate, Still Unequal.”
EWA Announces New ‘Global Lens’ Education Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its third class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under an initiative aimed at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
The latest round of the EWA Reporting Fellowship is focused on examining U.S. education through a global lens. Prior rounds include college and career readiness and success, as well as high school redesign.
FAQs About the 2017 EWA Reporting Fellowship: U.S. Education in Global Context
Applications Due March 27, 2017
What is the EWA Reporting Fellowship?
The EWA Reporting Fellowship provides financial awards to education journalists to undertake special reporting and writing projects.
How many fellowships will be awarded?
EWA expects to award approximately three fellowships in this round of the program.
How much money comes with the fellowship?
EWA will provide awards of up to $8,000 a piece to winning proposals.
EWA Supports Education Journalism With New Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its inaugural class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under a new initiative aimed at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
“We were impressed by the high caliber of the proposals, and are thrilled to help advance ambitious reporting in communities across the country, from Baltimore and Detroit to New Orleans,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “The response to this new initiative makes clear the strong appetite among media outlets — and individual journalists — for in-depth reporting on education.”
EWA Announces New Education Reporting Fellows
The Education Writers Association is pleased to announce its second class of EWA Reporting Fellows, under an initiative aimed at supporting enterprising journalism projects.
“We were heartened by the quality of the applications and the continued enthusiasm among EWA members for pursuing in-depth reporting projects,” said Caroline Hendrie, EWA’s executive director. “We expect the fellows’ work to advance important conversations about policies and practices shaping America’s schools.”
Chartering a New Course: KIPP’s Katrina Generation Goes to College
EWA Radio: Episode 93
When Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans in 2005, much of the city’s infrastructure was washed away — including its public education system. Changes imposed after the storm have produced a system primarily of charter schools which are independently operated and publicly funded — including those run by the KIPP network.
In the new series “Higher Ground” (for NOLA.com/The Times Picayune), reporter Danielle Dreilinger looks at where the city’s KIPP’s graduates wind up after graduation. She talks with EWA public editor Emily Richmond about the project (part of the EWA Reporting Fellowship program), and how the high-achieving charter network is seeking to improve New Orleans’ students chances of postsecondary success.
Broken Promises: The Education of Native Students
EWA Radio: Episode 86
What will it take for the federal government to provide American Indian and Alaskan Native students with the schooling and services they’ve long been promised?